Finland joins three new projects to support Ukraine

The Finnish Foreign Ministry said this in a press release, Ukrinform reports, citing Yle.

In particular, a vocational education and training (VET) project of the Finnish National Agency for Education and the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine will devel the quality of education and qualifications in Ukraine.

"Improving vocational education and training is important for Ukraine as it suffers from a shortage of skilled labor. Institutional coeration between Finnish and Ukrainian agencies will strengthen Ukraine in ways that carry far into the future," Finland's Minister for Foreign Trade and Develment Ville Tavio said.

The project will remove barriers to education to enable access to VET to all interested students and to ensure that vulnerable groups can fully participate in education. Finland awarded the project EUR 2.2 million in funding for the period from 2024 to 2026.

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Finland has previously supported Ukraine's education sector through projects, funds and education sector coordination by a total of around EUR 30 million in 2018–2023.

Regarding coeration in air quality monitoring, Finland will award EUR 2 million for a project of the Finnish Meteorogical Institute and the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine in 2024–2028. The project will improve the capacity of air quality meters, increase the compatibility of Ukrainian air quality legislation with EU law and measure the effects of the war on air quality.

The project will last from 2024 to 2028. 2 million euros were allocated for its implementation.

According to the press release, in 2024–2025, Finland will support to the reconstruction of Ukraine with a contribution of EUR 5 million to the EU for Ukraine (EU4U) Fund of the Eurean Investment Bank.

The fund aims to promote Ukraine's financial and social capacity and to support the building of sustainable infrastructure, thereby boosting the economy. It awards funding for projects in the private and public sectors. The fund finances the construction of municipal infrastructure, such as schos, hospitals, transport networks and wastewater treatment plants, and the building of digital and cyber-security capacity.

Additionally, Finland has supported the reconstruction of Ukraine also through the E5P Fund, administered by the EIB, and the Green Recovery program of the Nordic Environment Finance Corporation (NEFCO).